- The program will enable institutions to determine whether graduates secure jobs, start businesses or not after leaving college
- Graduates will be expected to update their institutions every six months on whether they have found employment, established businesses or are still seeking opportunities
Graduates from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions will now be tracked for up to three years after completing their studies as the government moves to measure employment outcomes and align training with labour market needs.
Speaking during the second graduation ceremony of Taita Taveta National Polytechnic on Friday, Coast Regional TVET Director John Wamae said the program will enable institutions to determine whether graduates secure jobs, start businesses or not after leaving college.
He urged the 1,780 graduands to maintain contact with their trainers and program coordinators, saying their post-graduation experiences would play a critical role in shaping future training programs.
“We do not want to release you into the workplace and forget about you. We want to know where you are after every six months,” Wamae said.
He said graduates will be expected to update their institutions every six months on whether they have found employment, established businesses or are still seeking opportunities.
“We are going to follow you for approximately the next three years. If, after three years, an entire class has neither secured employment nor started businesses, then it calls upon us as trainers to rethink what we are teaching,” Wamae said.
According to Wamae, the graduate tracing program will provide direct feedback from the labour market, helping TVET institutions assess whether their programs remain relevant to industry demands.
“You are the best people to tell us what is happening in the market because you are the ones we are releasing into it,” he said.
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He asked graduates to keep the contact details of their trainers before leaving the institution to ensure regular communication throughout the monitoring period.
The Regional Director challenged the graduates to actively utilize the technical skills they had acquired rather than waiting indefinitely for formal employment.
“Do not let your certificate become the most expensive decoration in your sitting room. Put it to work. Start that business you have always talked about, apply for opportunities and continue learning, he said.
He noted that TVET graduates possess practical competencies capable of transforming small enterprises into larger businesses and creating employment opportunities for others.
“When others see unemployment, TVET graduates should see entrepreneurship. When others see challenges, they should see innovation,” Wamae said.
The graduate tracing program comes as the government intensifies reforms aimed at making technical and vocational education more responsive to the needs of industry through Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) and the dual training model.
Principal Secretary for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria, who presided over the ceremony, emphasized that TVET institutions must focus on measurable outcomes rather than simply producing graduates.
She said institutions should continuously evaluate whether training translates into employment, entrepreneurship and productivity, adding that closer links between colleges and industry are essential for producing a skilled workforce that meets market demands.
By Michael Oduor
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